The Speakeasy

Tune in to a brand new episode of The Speakeasy as Damon Boelte welcomes the brilliant women of Llama Inn for a conversation on Peruvian cocktails and more! He's joined by Lynette Marrero, Jessica Gonzalez & Rebecca Applebaum. Learn more about the culture of Peru, Pisco, and more on an information packed episode!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte welcomes back Leslie Pariseau and Talia Baiocchi, the talented duo behind Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes. From Milan to Los Angeles, Venice to New York, the spritz—Italy’s bitter and bubbly aperitivo cocktail—has become synonymous with a leisurely, convivial golden hour. But the spritz is more than just an early evening cocktail—it’s a style of drinking. In Spritz, Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau trace the drink’s origins to ancient Rome, uncover its unlikely history and culture, explore the evolution of aperitivo throughout Northern Italy, and document the spritz’s revival around the world. From regional classics to modern variations, Spritz includes dozens of recipes from some of America’s most lauded bartenders, a guide to building a spritz bar, and a collection of food recipes for classic Italian snacks to pair alongside. Talia Baiocchi is the editor-in-chief of Punch and the author of James Beard Award–nominated Sherry. She has written for Bon Appétit, Saveur, and many more. She lives in Brooklyn. Leslie Pariseau is the former deputy editor of Punch. She has written for the New York Times, GQ, Esquire, and Saveur. She lives in Brooklyn.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tune in to this week's episode of The Speakeasy as host Damon Boelte is joined by Kat Kinsman, editor at large and former editor in chief of Tasting Table and a frequent public speaker on the topics of food and mental health. She is a former writer and editor for CNN.com, where she was nominated for the James Beard Broadcast Award in the TV Segment category and won the 2011 EPPY Best Food Website for CNN's Eatocracy. After she published a personal essay on her struggles with anxiety for CNN Living, people came out of the woodwork to share their own experiences and it felt like the beginning of a conversation that needed to happen. In her upcoming nonfiction book, "Hi, Anxiety," she'll be sharing her own stories and speaking with people from all different cultures, races, faiths, economic circumstances, regions and ages about their experiences with anxiety, and how they're fighting back. Though the book is due out from Harper Collins imprint Dey Street Books on April 26, 2016.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode of The Speakeasy, Damon catches up with Giuseppe Gonzalez, whose bartending credits include Golden Cadillac, PKNY and Dutch Kills. Giuseppe now runs Suffolk Arms in New York's Lower East Side, which features an English pub exterior but a distinctly New York feel inside.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Speakeasy, host Damon Boelte sits down with mixologist and bartender for Amor y Amargo, Sother Teague. Amor y Amargo is part bar and part store; the tiny space showcases interesting cocktail accoutrements like strainers, books and, of course, assorted bitters, making it a prime place to stock up on ingredients for some cocktail-making at home. Together they discuss bitters, old Old Overholt, the definition of an "alcoholic," and why your cocktail doesn't need to be shaken or stirred.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re talking Caribbean rum on this week’s episode of The Speakeasy as Damon Boelte is joined by Jason Cousins from Authentic Caribbean Rum & Austin Hartman of Montana’s Trail House. The Authentic Caribbean Rum (ACR) Marque was developed as a symbol of authenticity, provenance and quality for rums within the WIRSPA family. As usage of the marque grows it will act as a visual symbol to help trade customers and consumers identify Authentic Caribbean Rum brands. Already it is being used to promote the development of Authentic Caribbean Rum as a distinct sector within the drinks industry. “My favorite thing about this industry is you can never know it all.” [30:00] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What are the modern classics in the cocktail world? Find out on this week’s episode of The Speakeasy. Damon Boelte is joined by friend of the show and previous guest Robert Simonson, who has just released a new cocktail app called Modern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissance. Modern Classics is the first independent, critical assessment of the original drinks of these recent decades, compiled by New York Times drinks writer, journalist and author Robert Simonson. This brutally honest collection identifies, justifies and presents the authoritative, verified and properly attributed recipes in four categories: the modern classics, the objectively popular drinks that might yet achieve that status, certain drinks identified as critical favorites worthy of more attention, plus a collection of foundational recipes from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that helped set the stage for today’s cocktail renaissance. “Part of the reason I hang out at Long Island bar is that Toby Cecchini and Phil Ward regularly bartend there and I can ask them directly for the drinks they invented.” [15:00] — Robert Simonson on The Speakeasy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Speakeasy welcomes very special guest, David Wondrich this week who was born on the banks of the Monongahela and raised mostly in suburban New York City. After working as a house painter, a mattress stuffer, messenger, clerk and process server for a mob lawyer, bass player in more bands than he can count and a dozen other things, he settled down and earned a doctorate in Comparative Literature, specializing in Latin scientific poetry. That led to a job as an English professor, which he didn’t like. What he did like was writing about jazz and ragtime for the Village Voice and the New York Times and about cocktails for Esquire, a job he began in 1999 and is still happily performing today. Imbibe, his 2007 tribute to Professor Jerry Thomas, has become an essential text for bartenders and cocktail geeks alike. It is the first cocktail book to win a James Beard award. Punch, his 2010 follow-up, has helped refill the flowing bowl around the world. Tune in as David shares what he’s working on presently and more! “We don’t know the origin of anything, really, only a few cocktails know their fathers so to speak!” [31:00] –David Wondrich on The Speakeasy  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You think you know Daiquiri’s, but you have no idea. Tune in to a brand new episode of The Speakeasy as Damon Boelte is joined by Bridget Firtle, who established The Noble Experiment NYC to bring the timeless tradition of rum distilling back to New York City. The company aims to produce all natural, premium quality distilled spirits distinctive to New York City through the use of 100% domestic ingredients.  Small batch, hand-crafted spirits were once a thing of the past – our dream is to reinvent this industry once again alongside the continued growth and rebirth of the cocktail. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tune in as The Speakeasy celebrates its 5th anniversary with guest Lucinda Sterling!  On the precipice of opening the new Red Hook based bar, Seaborne, she and Damon chat about the late Sasha Petraske, a pioneer of the current cocktail revival and his vision when initially dreaming up the bar’s concept.  Simplicity is key!  After the break, the duo discuss Lucinda’s journey through the beverage industry and more details on the opening of Seaborne. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.